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P. PEYNAUD. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 471,225. Patented Mar. 22, 1892.

NlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PIERRE PEYNAUD, OF LE OAILLAN, FRANCE.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 471,225, dated March22, 1892. Application filed July 22, 1891. $erial No. 400,310. (Nomodel.) Patented in Praneedanuary 22, 1891,No. 210,858-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PIERRE PEYNAUD, a citizen of the French Republic,residing at Le Caillan, in France, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention has been patented in France, No. 210,858, dated January22, 1891.

The object of this invention is to produce an improved instrument of theviolin kind in which the strings are operated by keys instead of by thedirect manipulation of the fingers, two or more of the strings beingsimultaneously nipped between devices which the said keys actuate.

To this end the said invention consists in the construction andcombination of devices hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation ofthe musical instrument called a olaviviole, embodying my invention. Fig.2 represents a vertical transverse section through the same, showing thestring-nipping devices inactive, the instrument being a four-string one.Fig. 3 represents a similar view with the said devices closed on thestrings. Fig. 4: represents a plan View of the instrument, the casingand interior mechanism being in longitudinal section. Figs. 5 and 6represent views similar to Fig. 2, but of a three-string and two-stringinstrument, respectively.

0 designates an ordinary alto or other sounding case having in contactwith its outer end a vertical board or piece R, from the lower end ofwhich a rod V extends to and through a bracket V on the bottom of afinger-board A, which is in contact with the inner end of the said case0. This rod is screwthreaded at the end which passes through the saidbracket to receive a thumb-nut V whereby it may be drawn tighter orloosened at will. The said board or piece R sets into a recess of anupward extension of one of the legs P of the instrument. From its upperendthe ordinary alto-piece V extends to the strings c. The rod Vcounterbalances the tension of the strings, and thus aids inmaintainingthe rigidity of the parts A O afore said.

B designates a side piece of the casing, connected by hinges D to thebottom piece there of and opening downward to disclose the in teriormechanism. \Vhen this piece is raised to close the case, catches 0 holdit in this upright position. K designates two pieces arranged at theends of the mechanism-inclosing casing above the said hinged piece E,and E designates the top piece or cover of the casing, composed ofplates hinged to the frame of the said casing. A considerable openingbetween the said parts B E K K leaves visible, as in Fig. 1, the set ofkeys A. and the board F, on which they are mounted. The set of keysillustrated is composed of those for thirty notes extending from fa tosi, but by lengthening the mechanisnrcase room may be made to add newnotes or to make the series begin with any note whatever. As shown inFigs. 2 and 3, the depression of anyone of the keys A carries down withit a lever B, which is attached by a screw to the under side of the saidkeyand pivoted at one end to a standard 13 raised from the bottom of thesaid casing. This leveris provided at its free end with adownwardly-extendingstud B which rests upon a damper-lever 0, having oneend pivoted to a raised standard or block 0', the other end being guidedby an upright guide-rod 0 To the under side of this lever a damper-blockb is hung by a loose joint 8. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, two smallerblocks a and a are hung at 1 e' to the under side of this main block Z),each of them being arranged to press on two of the instrument strings e,which rest on the bridge E,npheld by the spring h. There is one suchbridge for each one of the dampers. An enlargement d of the said bridgeholds the two middle strings higher than the first and fourth, and theunder faces of the blocks a a'are recessed to fit this construction, 'sothat, as shown in Fig. 3, when the depression of the key forces thedamper-blocks, through the action of the intervening mechanism, down onthe strings all four of the latter will be securely nipped or clampedbetween the said blocks and the bridge. As shown in Fig. 5, a smallerblock d, not pivoted, may take the place of block a aforesaid, theinstrument then having but three strings instead of four; or, as shownin Fig. 6, both of the blocks a a may be dispensed with, thedamper-block I) pressing immediately on the two strings used in thisform of the instrument. The bridge E in this instance has no enlargementcl. The strings e are attached at one end to the piece V aforesaid andat the other end individually to tightening-screws G, which turn in oron the open, tip of the finger-board A. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, someof these tightening-screws are by preference horizontal and somevertical to allow space for a greater number.

When four strings are used, the first has the violin tone and is simplyof steel wire. The second has the alto tone and is tuned an octavehigher than the first. It has a light coating of glue outside of thesteel wire and copper wire wound on the said coating. The third string,having the Violoncello tone, is coated, like the second, with glue andhas copper wire covered with silk wound on the said glue, a finalwinding of copper wire inclosing all. The fourth stringhas the counter-bass tone and is exactly like the third string, except that it hasan additional winding of copper wire. Thus the strings regularlyincrease in size; but their tension is equal and they have the sameforce of sound. 'The winding and rewinding of the copper wire on thesteel wire do not sensibly increase the resistance of the string as awhole, so that one string will be stretched as easily as another, and instretching the counter-bass string there will be no danger of harmingthe instrument or of finding too great resistance to the action of thebow.

- On the three-string violin thesame air may be played on the first orviolin string, on the second or alto string, on the third or violincellostring, on the fourth or counter-bass string, on the violin and altostrings together, on the alto and Violoncello strings together, or onthe Violoncello and counter-bass strings together.

The claviviole embodying my invention, whether having two strings orthree or four, diifers from the monochord, the violin, and other likeinstruments in the composition of its strings and in the manner ofoperating the strings, which consists in pinching or clamping thembetween dampers and bridges, the said strings being immovable, insteadof depressing movable strings by fixed keys; also, by the use of jointsin the damperblocks and by the interval of an octave between thestrings, which makes it possible to vibrate two strings at the same timeand give the efiect of two instruments playing together at the intervalof an octave. The steel wires of the said strings should have theircentral or resisting parts equal in strength. The. first or fundamentalnote of each string placed on the instrument should be obtained when thetension is equal for the four strings. This result is easily arrived atby using for each of the strings the same wire in size and quality as isused for the first string, copper wire in greater or less quantity beingwound thereon, as described, and only the first string being leftwithout covering or winding. Thedampers,bridges,and actuating devicesmay of course be used with strings of very different composition fromthe above, as silk, catgut, or other construction of Wire.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is- 1 I 1. In a stringed instrument, a seriesof strings,in combination with a series of bridges, each of whichextends transversely below the whole series of strings, a series ofsprings which support the said bridges, and a series of dampers andoperating-levers, each damper being constructed to bind all the stringsagainst one of the bridges as depressed by its lever, substantially asset forth.

2. In combination with the strings of a string instrument and bridges onwhich they rest, a set of damper-blocks, damper-levers, and keys forclamping the said strings against the said bridges, the saiddamper-blocks being jointed to their levers, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with the strings of a string instrument, a set ofdampers pressing thereon, each having a block loosely jointed to itslever, and additional blocks loosely jointed to the main block,substantially as set forth.

4. A damper provided with a jointed main block and havingan additionalblock or blocks jointed to the said main block, substantially as setforth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this20th day of June, 1891.

PIERRE PEYNAUD. Witnesses:

EMILE KAUTER, GUILLAUME ANTHONISSEN.

